What is alternative education?
Alternative education, generally, has been defined as the process of placing students into alternative settings or learning environments for specific reasons. Reasons may include discipline, learning styles, specific program objectives or separation due to pregnancy. Alternative education is about dealing with students who for whatever reason can not cut it in a traditional classroom setting.
What are the necessary characteristics of alternative education programs1placements?
Alternative programs will not all look the same. In order for programs to meet local needs, they must be structured specifically for those needs. Education policy should not dictate uniformity. Flexibility must be allowed if we want alternative education programs to succeed.
Alternative education programs should not be dumping grounds. Programs should be based on rigorous academic standards. For programs that are disciplinary in nature, placements should not be permanent. There should be a way out based on clear and established behavioral benchmarks.
Alternative programs should include small class size and extensive support services. Students should be provided with intensive help. Staff working in alternative settings must be competent and have special training and skills in dealing with program students.
For all alternative programs, effective parental communication must be established and follow-up measures instituted.
For programs dealing with chronically disruptive students, there should be a range of placement options, from in-school programs to longer term placements outside of the regular school.
Don't just think high school. Early intervention via alternative education may provide greater success in the long run.
Can we afford alternative education?
Because quality alternative education programs are based on smaller class size and special staffing needs, they are often more costly than regular, traditional classrooms. Exact costs will differ depending on the nature and extent of the programs. In determining how to fund alternative programs, we must realize that they are not all the same. A funding mechanism based on need, nature of the program and the number of students served should be considered.
In the final analysis, alternative programs are cost effective because the cost of not having alternatives is more expensive. For example, an alternative education program for disruptive students can result in the following.
- More learning in the regular classroom. With one hour of instructional time lost per day to disruptive behavior, the cost per year for such behavior is $23,429 per classroom (based on the national average annual cost per pupil of $5,623.)
- Less repetition of grades by students. For each student who does not have to repeat a grade, the cost savings would be $5,623.
- Less incarceration. Many chronically disruptive students are on the fast track to incarceration. With appropriate intervention, we might be able to turn them around. In 1993, the average annual cost to incarcerate an inmate in local jails was $14,667. Federal prisons cost an average of $22,773 per inmate per year.
While we may have arguments about definition, structure, regulation, function and funding, there is no disagreement as to the need for alternative education programs. It is not a question of whether we can afford to provide alternative education, but a question of whether we can afford not to provide it. |
